The Hope of Glory

June 16, 2026

From Pastor Joseph Wamack

Hello MAC Family,

I hope and pray you are well today. I know of some struggles and concerns that some of you are having this week. Some have concerns for family and housing, some have concerns that are life and death. Some have health concerns, children concerns, school concerns, employment concerns. It always reminds me-we really don’t know what is going on with someone when we see them at church. We can see their appearance or their expressions, but what is going on in their minds, their hearts, and their well-being can be a mystery to us unless they share with us. So always be kinder than needed is something I try to remind myself to do.

This week Pastor Eileen and I begin a series entitled “Famous Last Words” based on the Gospel of John, chapters 14-17. Imagine if you knew it was the last night of your life. What would you do? Where would you go? What would you eat as a last meal? Who would you want to be with? When Jesus knew that He was living His last night on earth, He wanted to be with His disciples and He wanted to serve. John 13:1 says, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

I love that phrase “He loved them to the end.” He loved until His final breath because He knew. He knew this was the last night. His arrest, His death, none of it was an accident. He came on a very expensive divine errand from heaven to save. And on His last night on earth, He wanted to celebrate the Passover with His friends. He wanted to demonstrate the Son of Man came to serve and not to be served. He wanted to love them to the end. And so He loved them until the end as He knelt down and served by washing feet. Elder David Kim shared from the pulpit a few weeks ago some beautiful insights about John 13. Jesus served out of love. Just like you and I are called to do.

Now on this last night of His life, after He washed feet, He shared words of love with His people to let them know how much they are loved and what they will be experiencing and going through, after He is gone. So He tell them things like “let not your heart be troubled, I go to prepare a place for you to live.” He has the divine audacity to say “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes until the Father except by Me.” He talks about vines, branches, fruit, pruning, the Spirit and being One as He and His Father are One. Unity, based on the indwelling of The Spirit; this is the key to the Kingdom, my friends. Jesus dwelling in us through the Spirit; this is the hope of glory.

Join us this week as Pastor Eileen begins with John 14:1-3 and then the next week we will share Communion together, dwelling on the words of Jesus, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” How has Jesus been the Way, the Truth and the Life to you?